Firetrace News

Waste and Recycling Plant Fires

There were more than 300 fires a year at UK waste and recycling plants between 2001 and 2013. These types of fires present a significant environmental hazard, endanger human life and inflict a major cost on companies in property damage and lost business. Last year a fire at a plant in Sutherland burned for 25 days before being extinguished; it not only damaged the production line of the recycling centre but affected the air quality of the surrounding area and compromised water sources.

Update on White Appliance Fires

In 2018 Consumer champion Which? called for plastic-backed fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers to be removed from sale. Which? found that the backing material of nearly half of all such appliances currently on sale in the UK are manufactured from unsafe plastic that presents a potential fire risk. Their research also found that a number of models are backed with a plastic that manufacturers had in the past claimed was “fire-retardant” but in fact could also speed up the spread of a fire.

New Fire Requirements for Coaches and Buses

Historically, in the UK bus and coaches were not required to have fire suppression systems fitted. It was at the discretion of the coach operators whether such systems were installed on their vehicles. This changed in July when an amendment of the European UNECE Regulation 107 became mandatory.